Vladimir Putin ‘Discovers’ Greek Urns on Black Sea Dive

Former Russian president Vladimir Putin who enjoys a reputation of being a very strong and active man among Russians, has included underwater archaeology to his long list of outdoor pursuits, diving in the Black Sea with a mission to explore the submerged ruins of Russia’s Atlantic — an ancient Greek city.

According to state news reports, Putin — a novice only attempting his third scuba dive, descended just two meters beneath the water and happened to ‘come across’ two 6-century-old Greek amphorae urns that had been waiting for him on the floor of the sea.

Luckily, there was a full presence of media on hand to film the incident, which truly surprised archaeology experts who had spent two years in that area and found only a few pottery shards.

This was perhaps the most publicized incident of the week that became the subject of many critics’ ridicule. Critics said this was a sign of increasing weariness of Putin’s macho photo ops (like bare-chested fishing, or piloting a ‘water bomber’ over the forest), while others saw the dive as another farcical stunt designed to boost Putin’s image before the upcoming presidential elections.